Rookie Andrew Loupe fires 63 for Pebble Beach lead

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Andrew Loupe knows how one week can change everything. He can only hope his 8-under-par 63 in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is the start of another one.

Loupe had to wait three hours to tee off because of rain Thursday, and then he played bogey-free on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula. That gave him the lowest score among those who finished their rounds.

Rain soaked the Monterey Peninsula in the morning, which was great news for an area desperate for rain, not so much for the tournament. Puddles quickly formed on the greens at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, forcing play to be stopped on all three courses.

Monterey Peninsula played the easiest, and Loupe took advantage. He never had to scramble for par, missed only one fairway and only two of his birdies were over 10 feet. The 25-year-old from Louisiana hasn’t made the cut in five starts his rookie season.

Former Husky Richard H. Lee, Stuart Appleby, Jim Renner and Scott Gardiner had 65s at Monterey Peninsula. Phil Mickelson, a four-time champion, was at 5 under par through 15 holes when the round was stopped because of darkness.

Pebble Beach played the toughest. Jimmy Walker, already a two-time winner this season, got up-and-down for birdie on the 18th for a 66, the best score at Pebble.

Jordan Spieth had the best round at Spyglass Hill at 67.

Michael Putnam from University Place shot a 69 at Spyglass. Former Husky Chris Williams had a 70, also at Spyglass, and Kyle Stanley from Gig Harbor shot a 74.

Other tournaments

• Jessica Korda birdied her last three holes for a 5-under 68 and a share the lead with fellow American Katie Burnett after the first round of the Australian Ladies Masters in Gold Coast.

• Scotland’s Craig Lee shot a 7-under 65 on Royal Johannesburg and Kensington’s long and tougher East Course to share the first-round lead in the Joburg Open.